Imipramine (a dibenzazepine derivative) finds extensive use for the treatment of depression. In administering imipramine, it is frequently necessary to ensure that the imipramine blood level remains within a certain narrow concentration range, in order to insure effective dosage, while avoiding levels which may be toxic or produce undesirable effects.
A number of techniques have been developed for determining imipramine, either based on extraction of a blood sample and determination of fluorescence of the extract or by chromatographic methods, such as thin layer chromatography or high pressure liquid chromatography. All of these methods have various inadequacies in either requiring extremely careful clinician handling, being slow, or subject to substantial interference from other constituents present in serum. Also, depending on the method of extraction, metabolites may be included to a greater or lesser degree in the extract.
It is therefore desirable to provide a simple and rapid procedure for determining imipramine levels in serum or other physiological fluids, which provides reproducible values and assurances of the compounds which are being measured.